Much of the coverage around Manchester's October 26 vote framed it as a simple question: did the Save Downtown Manchester petition win or lose? The real answer is neither. The board held onto several pieces of the petition and removed the one requirement the petition had been organized around.
By a 6-3 vote, the board adopted an amended ordinance that locks in Main Street's angled parking, its roadway width and a specific number of public parking spaces near the Army & Navy Club. What it doesn't do is require a minimum number of travel lanes, which means the town's two-lane redesign can keep moving. In the long run, that parking number is likely to shape downtown more than the lane debate ever did.
How the Board Reshaped the Petition
Save Downtown Manchester was started by local business owner Tom Tomko along with other Main Street business owners and residents. Their petition called for keeping four travel lanes and angled parking on Main Street between Center/East Center Street and Hartford Road/Charter Oak Street, plus at least 110 public parking spaces at 1050 Main St.
On September 11, a Superior Court judge found the petition ordinance lawful, which sent it to the board. On October 26, the Democratic majority approved an amended version along party lines, 6-3. Republican members had wanted the original language put to a referendum and said they got the amended text only shortly before the meeting.
Original Petition vs. Adopted Ordinance
- Travel lanes: The petition required four. The adopted version sets no number and lets the town study and propose improvements.
- Angled parking on the east side: Kept in both versions.
- Roadway width: Not the controlling limit in the petition. The adopted version requires at least 44 feet curb to curb at every point.
- Public parking: The petition sought at least 110 spaces at 1050 Main St. The adopted version calls for at least 110 off-street public spaces on the west side of Main, within 600 feet of the Army & Navy Club entrance.
- How the parking gets provided: The petition didn't say. The adopted version allows the town to buy or lease property, or to build a facility on a town-owned lot south of Bennett Apartments.
- Stretch of road covered: The petition ran to the center of the Center and Charter Oak intersections. The adopted version runs from the southern edge of the Center Street intersection to the northern edge of the Charter Oak Street intersection.
Width Locked, Lanes Unlocked
The 44-foot minimum and the angled parking preserve what Main Street looks like today: a broad, historic downtown street with cars lined up along the east curb. The ordinance also instructs the town to protect the corridor for its historic, cultural and economic value.
Because there's no lane requirement, the planned streetscape overhaul can proceed, something the petition's four-lane mandate would have stopped. The Downtown Manchester Improvements Project concept would:
- Reduce four travel lanes to two through lanes, with left-turn lanes at intersections
- Add a separated cycle track along with more space for pedestrians and public use
- Introduce roundabouts at Center/East Center and at Charter Oak/Hartford Road
- Save detailed block-by-block parking layouts for a future phase
Notably, the protected segment starts and stops at exactly the two intersections where roundabouts are proposed.
What Residents Said
Roughly 14 speakers supported the original ordinance or opposed the changes, while about 16 opposed the original or supported the streetscape plan. Petition backers pushed for a public vote and suggested red light cameras or stepped-up police enforcement instead. Streetscape supporters pointed to cyclists, the goal of bringing more people downtown and the value of not freezing the street's design. Resident Lisa O'Neill spoke against the original, noting the streetscape plan tackles safety after recent serious pedestrian injuries and deaths on Main Street.
Parking Is Now the Binding Commitment
The Army & Navy Club
Back in 2024, Board of Governors member Peter Miller said the club's bingo nights draw as many as 150 people, many of them older and needing to park close by, and warned that losing free use of the lot could eventually force the club to close. At the October 26 hearing, he said 110 spaces elsewhere on the same side of Main might still be too far away.
The 942 and 1050 Main St. Redevelopment
The town picked GRAVA Properties as its preferred developer for the combined site. A board steering committee recommended GRAVA in March 2026, and the board then authorized the Town Manager to negotiate a development agreement. GRAVA's concept includes:
- About 116 homes, with 20% set aside as workforce housing
- Ground-floor commercial space and a plaza
- About 100 public parking spaces, made up of 60 public bicycle spaces and 40 public car spaces
- 78 parking spaces for residents
- An estimated investment of more than $40 million
Mind the Gap
If the ordinance's 110 spaces are meant as car spaces, the March concept provides only 40 of them. To close the difference, the town would have to buy or lease property, or build a parking facility on the lot south of Bennett Apartments.
What Comes Before Any Changes
- Funding: The town holds a $7.5 million Community Investment Fund grant from the Connecticut DECD, but the project is only partly funded.
- Design: The project page lists the current phase as "Grant Solicitation & Concept Development." Staff are revising the concept, collecting feedback and pursuing additional state and federal grants.
- Development agreement: The GRAVA agreement has to be signed before design, permitting and approvals can begin.
- Construction and parking: Building begins after approvals. The redevelopment is expected to wrap up around 2029, and the 110-space requirement must be satisfied within the same corridor.
Don't expect to see anything different on the street this winter.
Main Street Right Now
- A new library: The 75,000-square-foot Manchester Public Library opened September 14 at 1041 Main St., taking over from Mary Cheney Library as the main branch. Town Manager Steve Stephanou said the town had simply outgrown the old building.
- Holiday on Main: Saturday, November 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a snow-globe experience and an igloo photo booth. The event is listed by the Downtown Manchester Special Services District at 903 Main St.
Business Owners Weigh In
In 2024, Retro Junk owner Brandon Farr said he liked the idea of downtown upgrades but worried about parking changes and lost sales during a year of construction. Mulberry Pizza owner Bob Sulick supported the concept and expected the improvements to bring in more customers.
Own Near Main Street?
If you live or own property near the corridor and want to understand how these plans could affect your home's value, reach out. I'm happy to provide a free home valuation or talk through your options.